


Change at the Fair

by everydayescapeartist



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, everlark, everlark fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-05-03 07:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5282276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everydayescapeartist/pseuds/everydayescapeartist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Change is the word of the day at this year’s county fair.  Written for PiP Farewell Tour Day 3 Prompt: Modern Locations - Fair</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change at the Fair

"That'll be $4.50," she informed the middle-aged man still in his business suit from work apparently, his fresh-faced beauty of a girlfriend (wife? mistress? who knew?) hanging on his arm.  He handed her a crisp bill.  Of course he'd want to pay with a fifty.  Ugh.  She checked her change box though she knew it was of no use.  He was the third one tonight to do this.  What was it?  Use big bills to impress your woman night?  And impress her by buying one lousy thing?  Whatever.  She pushed air deliberately through her nose, trying not to look as irritated as she felt.  The $4.50 was still a purchase and every dollar helped.  After all, she and her mother and sister liked little things like electricity and food, so she couldn't scoff at whatever profits they made tonight.  She asked the couple to wait just a moment so that she could get them change.  They seemed a bit surprised.  Of course they did, throwing fifties around like it's nothing.  She took her cash box with her out of the back of the booth and looked around, trying to gauge the nearest booth that might be able to help her.  As she officially couldn't stand Glimmer, who was running a jewelry booth to her right, and the feeling was mutual, she ruled that option out.  Across the way was Cray, their town's "finest" officer, running a booth to get kids registered in some system so they could be found if they went missing.  She didn't know how anyone could trust their children to him, especially their girls.  He'd been leering at her all night just like he'd been doing all year.  He gave her the creeps.  She wouldn't ask him.  If she had her way, their booth wouldn't be anywhere near his.  Haymitch, her crusty old drunk of a neighbor (okay, he wasn't that old, but his drinking certainly aged him) was half passed out at his booth next to Cray's.  Alright, there was really no other choice.  It was the bakery booth next to her that would have to be the winner.  At least she hoped she'd only have to visit one booth for help.  She hated having to ask for help with this anyway. 

She turned to her left and bit her lip slightly.  His tousled blond hair kept falling into his eyes as he smiled at the customer he was handing the loaf of homemade pumpkin bread to.  She'd been smelling it all night, all of the baked goods from the Mellark stand really.  They were well known in their county for the quality of their food and no other business could really compete.  She had been smelling the goods but trying not to look that way.  It was ridiculous to do so, really.  Peeta Mellark was so far out of her league it wasn't funny.  Or, at least, they just ran in different circles…and her circle was very small.  Not his though.  He was very popular and well-liked, a star wrestler at their school, even an artist in various ways.  He'd won a couple art awards and been part of a couple plays too.  Katniss was just glad that she was able to get the grades that she did, just attending her regular classes, given that she spent a lot of time working outside of school helping her family to make ends meet.  If she wasn't helping to sell her mother's herbal lotions, oils, soaps, and teas at fairs and other local events, she was working at the local rec center teaching kids to sing simple songs or working part-time bussing tables at Sae's Diner on Main Street.  She knew she should take the promotion Sae had just offered her last week and become a waitress.  She just felt torn since she guessed she was much more fond of dirty dishes than of people.  Given that, she wasn't sure what kind of tips she could hope to bring in.  Peeta came to Sae's sometimes.  She knew random things about him because of it, like that he didn't take sugar in his tea and, for that matter, that he liked tea.  He also seemed to like to sit at the table closest to the kitchen entrance for some reason, though she couldn't see what appeal sitting near dirty bus stations and noisy, clanging dishes and dishwashers could have.  He seemed content there though, whether he was with a group of friends or just studying alone in the booth.  And after he'd left, the booth always smelled of cinnamon and dill.  She'd come to associate those scents with him.  

Approaching him now, she tried to keep her best business face on.  She just needed to talk to him about her change situation.  That was all.  And he was a nice guy, after all.  He'd probably help out.  She just didn't know if she could remember how to string words together around him, but she had to try.

"Excuse me…Peeta?" she began when she saw that he had finished helping his latest customer and there were just another couple folks who were eyeing the goods in his glass display with apparent indecision.  They'd need another few moments probably.  

He looked surprised when he turned to see her, but a pleasant smile lit up his face.  The kind of smile that should be plastered on a bus or a billboard, if she was being honest.  She wasn't sure exactly when it had happened. Peeta had always been a pleasant kid.  He used to be a little chubby and his hair used to have more curl to it.  His eyes had always been blue, but had never struck her as this blue in the past.  His smile had always been warm but it hadn't made her feel this warm in the past.  But she'd been noticing him more and more over the past few years.  He had grown taller, not tall per se but still a handful of inches above her.  His body was muscular now and he just...wore clothes well.  He looked good pretty much all of the time.  Tonight was no exception, despite his simple attire of jeans and t-shirt with his white Mellark Bakery apron over them.  

"Hi Katniss!" he said brightly.  

"Um, hi.  Sorry to bug you, but I was wondering if you had any change to spare.  Specifically, change for a fifty."

"Oh, yeah, probably.  Let me check."  He turned slightly and looked down into his change box.  "What would help, exactly?  I think we should have enough."

"Oh, great.  I appreciate it.  Two twenties and two fives ought to do it.  Or whatever other variation that involves a five for me to keep."

"He spent $5 and gave you a fifty?"

"Well, he spent $4.50 to be exact but I can muster 50 cents from our change box," she said, her lips quirking up at one side.

"Ah, I see.  Well, here you go.  Let me know if any other big spenders come your way and I can be of assistance."

That smile.  She didn't particularly want to turn away from it but such was her lot.  "Thanks again."

Returning to her booth, she set her change box down, opened it to retrieve the 50 cents and deposit the five dollar bill, and gave the man his change.  She watched as he and his date moved on to Glimmer's jewelry stand.  Of course. Eventually they left it laden with a handful of pieces.  Glimmer shot her a knowing smirk.  Bitch.

An hour or so and some decent business later, Katniss leaned forward onto the front counter and looked up and down the street.  There were less people congregating here than there were earlier.  The parade was set to start soon and everyone who wasn't in it loved to watch it.  She wasn't sure what was the bigger highlight for the county, the fair itself or the corresponding parade.  Both were a great opportunity to attract more business, to show off talents, and to have fun.  

"Did you sell out of the Rosemary Mint soap yet?"

Katniss turned to see her friend Madge approaching the booth. Madge was the Mayor's daughter and Katniss still wasn't entirely sure why someone as well-known and well-liked as her would want to befriend a poor girl from Seam Street. Her part of town was definitely worlds different from the neighborhood the Mayor and his family lived in. But somehow she and Madge found common ground. They just got each other. They shared classes.  They had similar book and movie interests. And their moms had actually grown up as friends, though they'd grown apart somewhat over the years. 

"Nope, still have a few bars," she answered. 

"Great.  I'll take 'em!" 

She grinned. She couldn't help it. Her friend was so constantly chipper. It would annoy her in some people but for those she knew were really genuine types of people, it didn't for some reason. Like Peeta Mellark, for instance.  Okay, she had to stop letting her mind wander in that direction. 

"My mom'll be so happy. She asked me to pick up more for her. Oh, and some of the spearmint tea too. And I'll take some of the honeysuckle soap myself, please."

She bagged the items for her friend and handed them over, accepting payment and tucking it away in the money box. "Thanks, Madge. Hope you both enjoy it all."

"Oh, we will. Your mom does good work."

"Yeah." Still, Katniss wished she'd do a little better work, perhaps a successful 9 to 5 kind of job. But she was trying now, which is so much more than she could say for the days after her father had died. Her mom had shut down then, lost to depression. That left her two daughters to care for themselves as well as her. Katniss had done what she could, taking on babysitting jobs she could also bring her younger sister Prim to and accepting other odd jobs as well. She worked in people's gardens doing weeding and planting. She worked under the table for the butcher.  She would rake leaves or shovel snow. Most anything really. And she didn't like it but some Good Samaritan organization had seen fit to leave anonymous gift parcels and baskets of food for a while. She didn't like the idea of being anyone's charity case but at the same time, those gifts had been a literal lifesaver, she was sure of it. They weren't elaborate at least, some apples, some bread and rolls that she guessed had been bought at Mellarks, some cured bacon sometimes or salted pork, once a small ham. And somehow, though she knew it had to have been a coincidence, around her birthday that really tough first year after her father's death, she had received a few cupcakes with green icing, her favorite color.  It had felt like somehow he was smiling down on her.  She had sat out on her front stoop eating one and taking a rare moment to just sit still and appreciate the nice new spring day and then she'd spotted a new crop of dandelions in the yard.  It had triggered some memories of her father teaching her various survival skills in prior years, including that dandelions could be used for things like salads and teas.  She started thinking about other things he'd taught her too and she used her knowledge to help feed and support her family.  She had been the one to start off with making and selling dandelion tea.  Once she had gotten her mother's general life awareness and participation back, they were able to work together to create other goods that others would need and buy.  So, technically, she couldn't begrudge her mom this business too much; she just hadn't known it would be a long-term thing.

"Hey…earth to Katniss?"

"Hmm?  Oh, sorry.  What were you saying?"

"Nothing much.  I was just talking about the parade."

"Oh, yeah, don't you have to go get ready for it?"

"Nope," her friend chirped happily, "I got out of it!"  

"What?  How?"  The mayor's family always walked or rode in the parade and most years this included Madge.

"I'm not entirely sure.  I guess my debate skills are coming in handy and I'm just really convincing these days.  But I made it clear I was not interested and after some back and forth, my parents just let me off the hook."

"Weird."

"I know.  They probably want something worse from me sometime soon.  Ah, well, I'll enjoy it for now."  

"So, it's just your parents walking then?"

"Yep. Well, they're driving this year but yes."

"Well, congrats on that."

"Thank ya, my dear."  

"Are congrats in order?"  His deep voice startled her and she upset a display of oils before pulling herself together and righting it.  

Madge gave her a knowing look that she didn't appreciate and answered Peeta, who had apparently decided to mosey on over to her booth.  "Not really.  Nothing big, I mean.  I just don't have to be in the parade for a change."

"Oh, score for you!"  

"I know, right?"

Peeta chuckled and turned his attention back to Katniss.  "No other big bill show offs tonight?"

"Nah.  Thanks again for earlier."

"No problem.  You would've done the same, right?"

She gave him a small smile.  Assuming they were making the same kind of bank his family was, sure, she definitely would.    Well, she would've helped with some kind of change if the opportunity had presented itself and she could.  

"So, um, what here would you recommend for me?" 

She wasn't sure if he was teasing or serious, but she couldn't help the answer that jumped from her mouth automatically. "The cinnamon soap."  Because cinnamon was what she associated with him.  That didn't likely have a thing to do with the soap he used though, but she had still sniffed the bars before and thought of him.  "Er, I mean…it's just a good smell.  I don't know if you need soap though.  I mean, everyone needs soap.  I just…mm…I recommend anything here, of course.  It's all good."

Peeta laughed.  "Spoken like a true saleswoman.  I do like the cinnamon soap though.  I think my dad has bought some before.  It smells good." 

His dad.  That made sense.  Judith Mellark was not a fan of her mother's.  Something about Paul Mellark once dating her mother years ago, or so she'd heard.  

"Oh, ah…glad you like it.  Um, it's right up here if you wanted to smell it again."

Peeta's lips remained curved in one of his charming smiles.  He let his eyes run over the table of goods and then plucked up two bars of cinnamon soap, putting his nose gently to them and inhaling.  She partly wanted him not to buy them just so she could set them aside and keep them.  What the hell had come over her?

"I'll take these."  His eyes scanned the other remaining products.  "And some of this tea too."

"You like dandelion tea?"  

"Yeah.  I do.  It's not common.  And it reminds me of spring."

She stopped herself as she began to nibble on her bottom lip again. 

"Is spring your favorite season, Peeta?" Madge chimed in.  Katniss felt bad that she had momentarily forgotten her friend was still standing there.

Peeta looked thoughtful for a moment.  "It's one of them.  I find something to like in all of the seasons but there is a certain hope in the new beginnings of spring.  Not that I think new beginnings can't happen any time of the year."

"A good perspective.  Are you looking toward any new beginnings for fall?" Madge questioned further.  Why was she giving Peeta a conspiratorial look?

"Maybe.  You never know."

Katniss had bagged Peeta's purchases by now and reluctantly handed the bag to him, indicating the total.  He paid, thoughtfully with exact change, and she thanked him.  They all looked to the street where droves of people were making their way toward the intersection a little ways up.  

"Katniss, were you planning on closing up and watching the parade?"

"Oh, I…I hadn't planned…um, what about you?  Are you closed up now?"

"Technically, no.  Rye came to take over, but his version of taking over is that, so…I'm not sure there's much actual business that will occur during the parade anyway."

The girls looked toward the bakery's stand and saw Rye leaning far over the counter, apparently trying to get a kiss from two of the girls she knew were from the Senior class at their school.  

"Ah, yeah, not likely," Katniss offered.

Peeta looked at her like he was waiting to hear more but she was momentarily uncertain of what to say next.  She didn't know if she should leave the stand or not.  It hadn't really come up for her before. 

"So, if you aren't going to be in the parade, Madge, were you planning on watching it?" she heard him ask.  

Oh, so that was it.  He was into Madge.  She understood, of course.  Who wouldn't be?

"Pfft.  No.  I've had enough of that parade to last me a lifetime.  Well, at least to last me till next year."  Madge paused, considering something and then a grin appeared on her face.  "You know what?"

"What?" she and Peeta asked at the same time.

"Katniss, why don't you let me take over the booth for a while?  You and Peeta could go check out the parade.  At the very least, maybe you'll catch some of the loads of candy they throw out.  Just don't actually take them from the hand of an adorable child, mmkay?"  

"Wouldn't dream of it," Peeta responded, humor in his voice.  "What do you say, Katniss?  Care to join me as I watch people pointlessly march down the street?"  

She might have been imagining it but he didn't seem too disappointed that Madge wasn't interested in seeing the parade.  And he looked almost hopeful as he asked her if she would join him.  She might have to deal with a big dose of reality later but for this very moment, she decided to go with the fantasy.  "O- okay."

"Great!"  

"Great!" Madge added, coming around to the booth entrance at the back and taking her place by the money box and the front counter.  Katniss looked to her for a moment but Madge shooed her out of the booth.  "Go!  I've got this.  Tell people to buy all the great stuff.  Accept their money when they do.  Check.  Don't give it another thought.  Have fun!"

Her friend seemed a bit too eager to see her off but she guessed she was just being a helpful friend and thoughtful as usual, just wanting her to enjoy the parade.  Unless she was indeed getting more and more obvious and her friend saw right through her where Peeta was concerned.  Katniss blushed at this thought.  Well, whatever it was, she'd take it.  

She came around to the front of the booth and she and Peeta thanked Madge before turning to join the droves of other fairgoers.  Peeta stopped in his tracks after a moment and apologized to Katniss, asking her if she could just wait a moment.  She nodded her assent and he told her he'd be right back.  She saw him head back to the bakery stand and enter it from the back.  When he returned, he no longer had the bag from her stand in his hand but he had one of the Mellark bakery bags instead.  

"Sorry," he said.  "I just figured I'd put my new purchases in my backpack and that I'd grab a snack too.  I haven't really eaten much tonight in between helping customers."

"No problem."

They smiled at each other for a moment and then turned to walk toward the nearby intersection.  It looked like a fair amount of people had actually moved further down the road or to the far side of the intersection, so there was a space that they slid into, sitting on the grass right near the curb.  They seemed to be just in time as the mayor's convertible started things off, crawling down the street, he and his wife giving their best royal waves to the gathered families around them.  She knew they had a couple miles to go on the parade route and wondered how they kept those huge smiles plastered on their faces that whole time.  When they spotted her and waved, she felt the pink on her cheeks and waved shyly back.  Peeta joined in, whether for the fun of it or because he knew and liked them, she didn't know.

"Well, that was your very own mayoral shout-out, Katniss.  Go you."

His voice was teasing but in a friendly way.  "Oh, yes, life goals, right?"  She smiled up at him.

"Definitely.  Speaking of life goals…"

She followed the direction of his gaze to the first business tossing out free samples.  This one actually wasn't candy.  It was, strangely enough, individually packaged hard-boiled eggs, as they soon found out, their arms shooting up in sync to catch the hurled, squishy orbs.  "Oh!  That was not what I was expecting.  Makes sense, but still…"  Peeta laughed and Katniss laughed with him.  They eyed the local farm's egg float as it passed them by and shook their heads.  "Well, when in Rome I guess, Peeta said, raising an eyebrow as he peeled open the small package.  He took a bite and proclaimed it "actually one of the best hard-boiled eggs I've had in some time."  Upon inspecting her own package, Katniss realized hers was actually a red beet egg. She opened it up and gingerly took a bite, the tangy taste sliding over her tongue.  She told Peeta she might have gotten the better deal because her egg was pretty delicious too.  "Who knew?  Egg delicacies at the fair parade!" Peeta joked.  She grinned.  It was easier than she'd expected just sitting here and sharing this time with him.  

They watched a few marching bands and some local dance company and martial arts studio come through.  "Do I remember somehow seeing you in one of these years ago?" he asked, face curious and a little uncertain.

"Oh, geez.  Well, yeah.  I was.  One year."

"You were doing that, right?"

"Mmhmm.  Our martial arts class.  We walked, we punched, we kicked.  It was a little underwhelming but an experience I guess."

"I guess.  Wow.  Now that you confirm it, I think I remember you being at the front of the group, really kicking ass…or air's ass anyway."

"Yeah.  Air is very tough, you know," she said, proud of herself for her own lame joke.  "I was at the front.  I was…um…top rank at the time."  She ducked her head.  She felt weird talking about things like that.  She didn't feel like she'd done too much worthy in recent years, so what successes she'd had in the past seemed a bit silly now.

He looked at her with some awe on his face.  "That's amazing, Katniss.  Really.  I always wanted to learn but…well, it wasn't one of our family's sports so…"  He let the sentence drop there and she learned something she had wondered about before in terms of how much the Mellark brothers may have been expected to do the sports they did and excelled at.  

She turned and spotted a business coming their way that looked to be throwing small items to children along the route.  She popped up from her sitting position before she really thought about what she was doing and weaved her way quickly through a clump of people toward the road.  She didn't exactly steal from any young children but she saw an open spot into which a handful of candy had been tossed and she took advantage quickly.  Sliding back through the spectators, she plopped back down next to Peeta.  "Here," she said, smiling and proud of herself as she sprinkled candy down over his lap.  He threw his head back and laughed for a few moments.

"Thank you!  Thank you very much!  Here I thought I smelled or something and that you'd taken off on me."

She shook her head.  "No.  Not at all."  She looked away briefly, feeling transparent again.  Turning back, she saw his inquisitive look and she plucked up a tootsie roll that had landed near his knee.  "I wasn't going anywhere.  I was just giving us our second course, post eggs."

"Okay.  Good.  So, you plan to stay with me then?"

Can I?  Always?  She pushed down the first thoughts that popped into her head and smiled at him, nodding.  "Certainly.  As long as you go catch our third course," she teased, pointing to several floats away.  

"You got it, Everdeen.  And let's not forget about this delicious snack here too," he said, patting the bakery bag he'd brought with him.  If you bring in another good candy haul, I may even share it with you."  

Did he just wink at her?  He did.  She felt the butterflies flit all over her stomach.  Tonight was now officially her favorite fair night ever so far.  

"You're on, Mellark."


End file.
